You Are Important
by The Muse of Deduction
Summary: The Doctor wants to go somewhere but, as always, the TARDIS has different plans. At first they aren't really clear; after all, what does saving a girl from jumping off a bridge have to do with anything? A lot, he'll soon realize. The teen will simply integrate herself into his life and turn everything upside down. First thing first though; will she run with the Doctor?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! Anyways, this is my first attempt at writing a Doctor Who fanfic so please bear with me. Reviews are awesome, follows and favourites are great. I'll hopefully be updating at least once a week or every couple days. Reviews help me to write faster.**

**Disclaimer: I most definitely do **_**not **_**own Doctor Who, no matter how many times I wished I did.**

**. . .**

The Doctor was by himself, reading near the console of the TARDIS. Amy and Rory were asleep – at least he _thought _they were asleep; he really didn't want to know anything else – so he was left to his thoughts. He _could _wake them up if he wanted to, but the last time ended with Amy chasing him around the ship with a heeled shoe as a weapon. Definitely not fun.

It was later that night – or what the TARDIS made to look like night – that he began to tinker with the ship. At exactly 10:54 pm, the TARDIS did something strange.

She landed herself.

The Doctor bolted up to the console to attempt to stop the landing, but failed. She had already landed.

"What're you doing old girl?" He asked no one in particular before checking the controls. Everything seemed to be in order. "Well then, that was odd," He said to himself. "Now, where have you brought me this time?"

He checked the monitor and the readings to find that he was in England once again. Double-checking the date, he let out a breath of relief when he saw that it was the sixteenth of June, 2010. Knitting his eyebrows in confusion, he couldn't figure out why his ship had brought him here. He was about to take off again before something caught his eye on the monitor.

Someone was sitting on the edge of the bridge they were parked on. The figure stood up.

They were going to jump.

Now, the Doctor wasn't able to figure out what had compelled him to act. Maybe it was the fact that he had seen too many people die. Or that he didn't want someone to make a rash decision. Or that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't try.

He flung open the TARDIS doors and ran out. "Stop! Don't jump!"

The figure turned around and took the Doctor by surprise for a moment. The person he had mistaken to be at least in their twenties was just a girl, fifteen years old at the most. Her blonde hair was open, grey eyes hidden behind black, rectangular glasses. Her eyeliner was running, which suggested that she had been crying. She just stared at him, as if waiting for an answer.

For once, the madman with a box didn't have one.

**. . .**

Charlotte walked through the streets after work, having missed the bus. She flipped the hood of her jacket up to cover her blonde curls and pushed her glasses up her nose. Checking the time on the phone her grandparents gave her, she saw it was 10:45 pm.

"Just my luck," She mumbled, not angry, but tired. She also noticed multiple texts from her mother. All of them were along the same lines; where are you, where's supper, your father had a bad day, hurry up, and that she was locking the door at 10:50. If she wasn't there in time, she'd have to find somewhere else to sleep.

Charlotte sat down on a bench, exhausted. Her leg still didn't heal completely and her shift wasn't an easy one. There was no way she could make it back home in five minutes. She looked around a bit, looking at the cars driving by and the faint light of the stars. It wouldn't be too bad if she just slept here and stopped by a friend's place to freshen up before school. Well, Isabelle's place; there wasn't really anywhere else she could go.

But sleeping on the bench wasn't an option, so she managed to get up and keep walking. Charlotte let her mind drift back to the past couple days as gravel crunched under her feet.

"_Charlotte Jackson! Come here right now! What have I told you about when I get home? Can't bother to cook supper anymore, can you? I believe you need to be taught a lesson!"_

She cringed at the memory. The bruises were still bright purple against the pale skin of her arm. Charlotte was careful though; she made sure no one ever saw the aftermath of her punishments. That would only lead to people failing in their attempt to help and harsher punishments for her.

"_Don't bother to come home until you apologize for what you've said! God knows what I did in a past life to have such a burden like you now! It would have been my good fortune if you had died! At least we would both be happy!"_

All she had suggested was that she stop drinking and find a job. Or at least clean up a bit. What was so wrong about that? But she was probably right; Charlotte was only bothering her again, being a burden to the person who had given birth to her. She had no place to speak. At least Isabelle's parents had been out for the weekend, so she could stay there without any awkward questions.

But did her Mum have a point?

"_Look who's here girls. The mute girl! Or is it four eyes? Can you even speak?" There was a small outbreak of laughter. "Tell me Charlotte, why do you even bother showing up anymore? No one would really miss you." A shove sends her tray crashing to the floor – spilling some of the contents on the snobby girl in front of her. _

"_It's not my fault your mother is a whore and your father spends all his time away from you because he can't stand your existence – a reminder of an affair. Now which parent had it, no one's sure. I'm guessing one each, since your brother shares the same fate," Charlotte replied coldly, meeting the girl's gaze with her grey eyes."Does that answer your question if I can speak?"_

_A shriek of fury from the other girl and ten minutes later Charlotte is on the ground, nose bleeding and glasses cracked. Isabelle finally came into the cafeteria and helped her up, handing her glasses to her._

"_Just kill yourself you freak!"_

Those thoughts kept running through her head as she walked on the bridge – a shortcut that would shave off at least ten minutes of her walk. Charlotte didn't even notice the tears running down her face, hot and salty, making her eyeliner run. Would it really be better if she just died? She looked over the edge. _'It's high enough,' _she mused to herself.

10:54 pm she was just sitting there, steeling herself for a very big shortcut; the shortcut of _life._

10:55 pm she was standing, ready to jump.

10:56 pm, a voice was shouting for her to stop, for her to not jump. She turned around and met the strangest man she would probably every meet. His floppy brown hair was probably the most normal thing about him. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, with red braces and a red bowtie to top it all off. There was a strange object in his pocket, but she could barely see it.

**. . .**

The two continued to look at each other for a moment before Charlotte turned around again.

"Stop, please. Don't jump," The Doctor pleaded. "You shouldn't do this."

"And why shouldn't I?" Charlotte asked, turning around. She would have lost her balance if the Doctor didn't grab her arm and yank her away from the edge. He looked her directly in the eye and she could tell now that they were green.

"Because you're you. And your life is very important," He replied. She stepped away from him and laughed slightly.

"To who? No one will miss me, I just ruin everything. I'm nothing special, just a freak," Charlotte replied, hugging her arms. The Doctor just watched her for a moment.

"That makes two of us then," He smiled. "All the best people are the ones people call freaks. It's because they don't understand us."

"And who are you exactly?" Charlotte asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. She watched as he straightened his bowtie.

"I'm the Doctor. And you are?"

"Doctor?" Charlotte asked, eyebrow raised. All thoughts of jumping off the bridge had vanished from her mind. "What kind of name is Doctor? I'm Charlie."

"It's an amazing name," He defended. "What kind of name is Charlie?"

Charlotte didn't know when she began smiling, let alone when she began laughing. "Charlie is short for Charlotte. Charlotte Jackson. I like it better."

"Well then Charlie which is short for Charlotte, have I changed your mind?"The Doctor asked, hoping that the answer was yes. He would hate to discover later that she had gone through with it as soon as he left. She was quiet for the longest time, a hollow smile on her face.

"Goodbye Doctor," She said simply before turning around and jogging down the rest of the bridge, catching a bus that would take her close enough to home.

The Doctor watched until she had gotten on the bus before walking back into the TARDIS. He couldn't help himself as a smile crept onto his face as he patted the console.

"So that's why you brought me here old girl. To save Miss Charlotte Jackson. Why it was her, I don't really care," He rambled on to himself. "Save one girl from a terrible mistake, of course she's important. Everyone is. Now, let's get going before Amy and Rory wake up, shall we?"

The Timelord waltzed around the console, flipping switches and humming to himself. Maybe the couple would like to see a new galaxy in the future. Or maybe Paris while the Eiffel Tower was being constructed.

But, as always, the TARDIS had different plans.

When the Doctor did throw open the doors later on with his companions by his side, he wasn't in Paris, or on another planet, or even another time.

Instead he was parked on the far end of a school field just as students started entering the building.

"Doctor, what's going on?" Amy asked, confused.

"I'm not quite sure, but I'm sure the TARDIS did this," He replied before whipping out his sonic screwdriver.

"Is something wrong?" Rory asked, watching the Timelord.

"Possibly. Maybe. I don't know, but I'm going to go check it out. Go on a date you two," He called before running off towards the school. As he walked into the front office, he noticed a girl at her locker and a smile crept onto his face.

"Charlotte Jackson," He whispered. "Funny seeing you here."

**. . .**

**So, what do you think? Remember to review! Did I do Eleven justice?! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Three reviews in a day already?! If you guys keep that up, you'll have a chapter every three days! **

**In all honesty, it's nice to see that and I'm really grateful for it. I'm very review driven because I know people are reading and liking the story enough to give their opinion about it. If I think people don't care, I won't update as much. So thank you all!**

**To answer thecrimevortex's question; Amy and Rory will be a bit scarce for the next chapter or two. Three at the most. After that, they play a big role in the story but for now, you won't see them much in the action. Hope I don't disappoint!**

**. . .**

The day was stretching out for months. Not really, but it felt like it to Charlotte.

To put it simply, she was exhausted. She had almost fallen asleep in Maths already and _did _fall asleep in the library when she was supposed to be doing research for a project on the computer. She would rather do _anything _than be stuck at school for a moment longer.

And it was only fourth period.

Nothing was different from any other day. A part of her wished that one day, even just for a measly twenty-four hours, she would wake up and everything would be different. Her mum would have a job and love her again; her father would drive her to school or ask how her day was. Everyone at school would just mind their own business and let her walk down a hallway without getting slammed into a locker or worse. Just for one day.

Was that really too much to ask?

But another part of her, the _reasonable _part of her said that she was just wasting her time dreaming about that. There wasn't enough magic in the entire universe to make that happen. She shouldn't care what other people said; she should just enjoy her life the way she wanted to.

That part sounded suspiciously like Isabelle.

The bell rang, signalling the end of one horrendous class. Charlotte was the first one out, wanting to get to her next class without any trouble. It was English, which made her feel a bit better. If it was any block she'd like to make last forever, it would be English. Ms. Angelo could make even maths interesting – which was saying something.

As Charlie walked into the classroom, books clutched at her chest, she didn't see Ms. Angelo at her desk. She took her seat and minutes after the bell had rang once more – screeching its announcement that fourth period had started – there was still no teacher.

Charlotte simply opened her notebook and started writing, ignoring the others in the room. It was ten minutes into the class that someone finally walked into the room, silencing her noisy classmates.

"Sorry everyone, bit of trouble on the way here. I got lost," A man said and Charlotte paused, pen poised just above the paper. She knew that voice.

She lifted her head and saw the man from yesterday, The Doctor, wearing an outfit to the one from their last meeting. The only difference was the tweed jacket he wore over it all. He was looking around the class, smiling.

Just thinking about yesterday made her look down. How could she look him in the eye after he saw her at her lowest?

"Where's Ms. Angelo? And who are you?" Someone in the front row asked. The Doctor spun to look at him.

"Very good question – " He paused to look at a sheet of paper in the red binder with the seating plan on it. "Eric!" The Doctor exclaimed, a grin on his face.

"Well Eric, Ms. Angelo won't be here for a couple days, visiting family and whatnot, so I'll be filling in. Oh, right! My name's The Doctor." He wrote it down on the board behind him. "See? Good thing there's a board, lovely little thing. That way you won't forget my name and I won't either because that has happened. . ." He trailed off. Meanwhile, the class burst into laughter, which caused the man to grin.

"What sort of name is 'the doctor'?" A girl sitting near Charlotte piped up.

"Well –" Another pause to check the sheet. "Rebecca, it's not the doctor, it's _The Doctor_ and –"

"And it's an amazing name," Charlotte said without realizing the words came out of her mouth before The Doctor spoke again.

"Exactly!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands out. "Brilliant Charlotte, thank you. Now, onto English. Funny language, isn't it? English."

**. . .**

The Doctor was just about to walk away from the classroom, feeling rather pleased with his teaching abilities when he noticed something that ruined his mood rather quickly.

It was Charlotte. She wasn't doing anything. It was what _others _were doing to her.

There was a group of girls walking towards her locker and slamming it shut, nearly slamming her fingers inside in the process. He couldn't hear what they were saying from where he stood, but judging from the high-pitched laughs from the group, it couldn't be anything good.

One girl even tripped Charlotte when she tried to walk away and _did _stomp on her hand with her heeled boot. Her sleeve must've gotten pushed up during the fall because he could hear the exclamation very clearly right after.

"Look at her arm! Little emo Jackson cuts! Next she'll be jumping off a bridge!" Another bout of laughter and The Doctor's anger was rising, but he couldn't find his voice.

He didn't know what possessed him to just stand there and watch. His entire brain was shouting for him to go help, to do something. But by the time he regained control of his limbs, the girls were already walking away and Charlotte was picking herself up off the ground, retrieving her fallen notebook as well. Then she walked away, as if nothing had happened.

The Doctor just stood there for a moment longer before going to do a bit of investigating. There was always some sort of gossip floating around the teacher's lounge. Maybe something useful about why the TARDIS landed here would pop up. . .

But he wouldn't forget about what they did to the poor girl that almost _did _jump off a bridge the night before.

**. . .**

It was lunch and Charlotte had a feeling something was up.

It was Isabelle. She was sitting by herself, away from everyone else. Charlotte had tried to speak to her, but she had ignored her completely. Maybe she was mad at her? But why? She was fine this morning when they were walking to school.

Charlotte stopped in her drawing, focusing all her attention on this 'new' Isabelle. She had been acting strange ever since second block. But what could have possibly happened between then and their morning walk?

Charlie shook her head mentally and decided not to focus on that at the moment. Instead, she thought of points that could prove and destroy her theory about Isabelle. Point one: she was writing with her right hand. Isabelle was left-handed and couldn't write with her right hand to save her life.

Point two: she could lift _much_ more in gym class than she could the day before. Steroids weren't a likely possibility. That just wasn't Isabelle. She had a blank expression on her face that didn't change _at all_, whenever she did speak, her tone was monotonous, she didn't understand sarcasm – which was her favourite tool – barely could remember the names of her friends. . .

Her thoughts were spinning, going through all the prominent changes. There were enough that she didn't need to go into much depth on the small details. But no matter what she suggested, nothing she thought of was likely enough or could cause enough of those changes to be the reason for her change.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when someone sat down across from her.

"Hello there Charlie. Fancy seeing you here," The Doctor said with a smile, leaning on his arms that were on the table. Charlotte met his smile with a small one of her own.

"Hello Doctor. How did you convince the admin to let you teach?" Charlotte asked, curiosity getting the best of her. The Doctor laughed and pulled out his psychic paper, showing it to her.

"I'm a substitute teacher. See?"

Charlotte looked at it before returning her gaze to him, raising an eyebrow. "It's blank."

"Really?" He asked, surprised before looking at it himself. Written in flourishing font, right in the middle of the paper was _The Doctor; Substitute Teacher_ along with the paperwork required. "It's right here!" He pointed out. Charlotte looked at it again before shaking her head.

"I don't see anything Doctor."

He looked at her, both puzzled and curious. "Interesting. . ." He murmured before putting the psychic paper away. "So Charlie, what're you doing here all by yourself? Where are your friends? And your lunch for that matter? Aren't you hungry?"

Charlotte smiled slightly, thought the Doctor could see the pain behind it. "I only have one friend Doctor, Isabelle, and she's acting strange. So I'm left on my own," She replied, starting to draw again. The Timelord frowned slightly at that. He understood better than anyone how it felt to be alone and he really felt for her.

"What about your lunch? You've got to be hungry. Eat," He said, pushing his tray towards her. She met his eyes for a brief second before looking back down.

"It's alright Doctor. I don't need charity. Besides, then you'll be hungry."

The Doctor put his hand on her arm and smiled warmly when she looked up, surprised. "It's not charity Charlotte. Think of it as a sign of friendship. I'll take half and you take half." When he was sure she wouldn't just walk away, he took away his hand and split the sandwich in half, giving her the larger half.

She hesitated before taking the sandwich, giving a whispered "Thank you," before meeting his eyes. It was only when he took a bite out of his own that Charlotte took a bite out of hers.

"So, tell me about Isabelle. What happened?"

Charlotte thought for a moment. "All her behaviour habits have changed. She's _much _stronger than yesterday, ignores the fact that she's left-handed, and a couple other things that I just can't explain. Thing is, she was fine this morning. I just can't find a reason for it," She finished, furrowing her eyebrows together slightly.

The Doctor listened with interest, trying to figure out a possibility himself. "About when did this all happen?" He asked, taking another bite.

"Around second block. All that happened around that time was that she was called down to the office to see the principal," She thought out loud.

The two continued to talk before Charlotte said she had to go. Before she did though, the Doctor caught sight of what she had been drawing.

It was Circular Gallifreyan.

And it made him all the more curious about Charlotte Jackson.

**. . .**

**I was planning to write more, but I had to cut it short because of where I want to end the next chapter. **

**What do you think of the end? What about Charlotte?** **Tell me in a review! Anything you want to see the Doctor do while he's at the school? You know what to do!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm starting to plan a special Halloween chapter that I may post either here or as a oneshot, I'll let you guys know. If there's anything you'd like to see in that, leave it in a review!**

**Before I start though, I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing, favouriting, and following. Charlotte's story would have ended on chapter one without you.**

**. . .**

Amy and Rory decided to take the Doctor's advice and have some time for themselves. If he needed them he could find them. They had already gone to watch a film, had lunch, and were currently taking a walk through a park on their way back to the TARDIS.

It was starting to rain and lucky for them, Amy had packed an umbrella in her purse.

"You really are prepared for anything, aren't you?" Rory joked, holding the umbrella up for her. "Got anything in there for an alien attack, just in case?" He joked. Amy smirked.

"You never know. I'm _always _prepared," She replied, bumping into him playfully, hands intertwined. The two continued walking when they heard the light melodies of someone playing the violin.

"Who do you think would be playing in this weather?" Rory asked, looking around a bit. Amy shrugged.

"I don't know. Let's find out," She said with a smile, tugging on his hand as she ran, dragging him behind her.

"Amy! Slow down!" Rory called and she let go of his hand as she slowed down, following the sound of the music, which was steadily getting louder.

"Come on Rory, it's coming from over here," Amelia called behind her.

"Why does it matter so much to you?" Rory asked, jogging to catch up to her.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Just curious I suppose." They continued to walk until they found the source of the sound.

It was just a girl, still in high school, standing under a tree to stay out of the rain. She kept her case open and had already earned a couple pounds. Amy looked her over, noticing that she didn't even have a proper coat to wear in the chilly weather.

The hoodie that lay on the ground beside her had several tiny but noticeable holes in them. Her cheeks and ears were red from the wind and her jeans had patches on them – not for style, but to make them last.

The redhead turned to her fiancé and saw the sympathy she felt for the girl reflected in his eyes. She dug around in her purse and Rory looked in his wallet. The couple strolled up and dropped thirty pounds in total into her case before sauntering away.

The teen had actually paused in her playing, a bit taken aback. "Thank you very much!" She called at the retreating figures. Amy turned around and smiled.

"You're welcome!" She called back and linked arms with Rory, moving closer under the umbrella. They both didn't know why they had felt so deeply for the girl. It wasn't that important though; they did something good for someone else. That was all that mattered.

Charlotte smiled at the disappearing couple and began to play a Scottish folk song.

**. . .**

Charlotte was walking to the library for her free period when she saw Isabelle ahead of her. Deciding to give it another shot, she jogged until she was walking in step with her.

"Hey Izzy," She said, watching her carefully, trying to guess her reply. There was no expression on her face, nor did it seem that she was going to reply. Charlie was going to walk away when Isabelle turned to look at her.

"My name is Isabelle and you aren't worthy to speak to yet. You're still weak," She said, blue eyes indifferent. Wasting no time at all, the girl walked away from the blonde. Charlie watched her go for a moment, trying to recover.

'_It's not actually Isabelle. Something must've happened, she'd never say that to anyone,' _Charlie reasoned with herself, trying to think rationally. The words still cut her to the very core though. She decided to push it into a corner of her mind and took a shortcut to the library.

Dropping her bag in a chair on the far end of the library, the teen browsed the shelves for something to read. Maybe even something to help her for her history project. After ten minutes, she found something she wouldn't mind reading and headed back to her seat, opening the book.

Charlotte was rather fond of her hidden corner. It was well hidden so no one could really find you unless they were looking. Most students didn't even know about this part of the library so she rarely had to listen to annoying gossip or get ridiculed by her classmates.

Sometimes she overheard things from teachers who were picking up printing or grabbing a book themselves. Occasionally when someone didn't want to be overheard – students and teachers alike – they would meet around here in the very back of the library. Whether it is to complain about a teacher, use some choice words to describe students, or complaints about the principal, she had heard it all.

Today was one of those days.

"What do you think of Mr. Andrews?" She heard a man ask. Charlotte stayed absolutely silent, not even daring to breathe.

"Oh, he's been doing wonders for this school," Another voice answered, female this time. It was a bit pitchy, so it had to be Mrs. Campbell, the sweet old librarian.

"Really? What exactly has he been doing?" The man asked. _'He seems to be rather interested,' _Charlie thought to herself.

"He's been doing all sorts of things. He's helped the music and fine arts departments more than the last principal did. Between you and me, Mr. Lewis favoured the athletics department above everything else."

Charlotte couldn't disagree there. Mr. Lewis definitely cared more about athletics than anything else, even if his students were going home with bruises from bullying. He had favoured the athletes too much to care what they did.

"But has anything strange been happening? Anything off about him?" The man pressed, sounding a bit strained.

There was a pause. "Well, there have been shipments to the school, saying that they're for the P.E department, but they aren't seen again after Mr. Andrews signs for them."

"Thank you very much," The man said, sounding much happier and there was the sound of footsteps. Charlotte peeked over the pile of books only to see the side door swing shut.

Her mind was reeling. What did packages have to do with anything? Surely the principal wasn't drugging students, right? And what sort of drug could do what had happened to Isabelle. Charlie shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself.

She needed to find evidence.

**. . . **

"Hello class! Turns out Mrs. Angelo won't be back for a while so you're stuck with me!" That was how the Doctor greeted his English class that day. It was the last period for Charlotte and she just wanted it to end quickly and get home before her father.

Charlie doodled aimlessly in her notebook as the class began reading a story from the textbook. The Doctor noticed that Charlotte wasn't really paying attention to the lesson and he was losing some of the other kids, but he really didn't know what to teach. After ten minutes, the story was done.

"Alright!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "It's says that I have to assign you questions related to the story –" A collective groan from the class voiced their opinions on that matter, "But that's boring and no fun to do. Seeing as I don't really have anything prepared for today, all I want you to do is write for ten minutes and then you can continue working or do what you like."

He received a better response this time. Grabbing a marker, he wrote the topic of the little writing piece – identity – on the board and let the kids get to work. They worked silently for ten minutes, and then everyone talked amongst their friends.

Everyone except Charlie.

She was bent over her notebook, writing furiously. Every couple minutes she paused to reread her work before she'd set off again.

'_Why is she so important?' _ The Doctor questioned himself. First the bridge, then her being at the school, then her being in his English class, sitting with her at lunch, _and then_ her ability to write Circular Gallifreyan.

At first it was because he understood what it felt like. Now he wasn't so sure if it even started out like that. What was so special about Charlotte Jackson?

The bell rang and Charlotte was the first one out the door. He noticed that in her hurry she had left her blue notebook on her desk. The Timelord grabbed it quickly and walked out of the class to find that she had already left.

"I'll just have to return it tomorrow," He murmured to himself. "But for now, I have work to do."

**. . .**

The Doctor did some poking around the principal's office after everyone had gone home for the night. He didn't find anything particularly interesting; papers, papers and, you guessed it, more papers.

"That doesn't seem right. He has to be hiding something. . ." He mused before throwing open the closet, revealing several boxes. "What do we have here?" The Doctor whispered before kneeling down to open them.

The Timelord was a bit surprised at the contents and put one of the items in his pocket to look at in the TARDIS. He closed the box and stood up, shutting the closet before striding to the desk, looking at some of the papers.

"Emily Jameson, Sarah Jones, Daniel Phillips, Isabelle Taylor. . .They've made a list," He exclaimed before looking at the rest of the list to see who the next victim would be.

"I really hoped it wouldn't be you," He whispered softly before walking out of the office.

**. . .**

Charlie walked in the field near her school, kicking a rock as she did so. Her parents had fought again and she was sporting several bruises littered on her arm to show where their anger had been unleashed. She knew that she would be in even more trouble tomorrow for running out but found that she couldn't care less at the moment.

With Isabelle acting strange, she had nowhere to go for the night. Her grandparents had moved to another city and she had no money on her at the moment. It was in her schoolbag, which she had forgotten at home.

She didn't even grab her backup bag –the contents made up of a couple changes of clothes and enough money to last her weeks – which she had hidden under the porch for times like this.

Her only option now was to just find the best place she could and call it a night. It wouldn't be too bad to sleep in the field for the night. The school provided some shelter for her. She could always get into the school quickly the next morning and shower. There was a spare pair of street clothes in her gym bag anyways.

"It's probably best to just sleep here," She said to herself and lay down on a bench in the courtyard, taking off her jacket to create a make-shift pillow. It wasn't ideal, but she wasn't going to complain. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt something being draped on her, something warm, and a kiss pressed to the top of her head. Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps walking away but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes as sleep overwhelmed her.

**. . .**

The Doctor was sitting near the console, flicking through a certain blue notebook.

"Doctor! You can't just read her private stuff!" Amy protested as she walked to the console. Her arms were crossed and she looked at him frowningly. Rory had joined her and was just shaking his head, disappointed.

"I'm not reading her private stuff!" He protested. "Look at this," He said, showing the redhead and her fiancé the drawings.

"What is it?" Rory asked, confused. He looked between Amy and the Doctor, waiting for one of them to clarify. Amy just shook her head and looked to her Raggedy Doctor. Everything was silent for a moment as the Doctor collected his thoughts.

"It's Circular Gallifreyan," He said simply before explaining. "It's the writing of my people. It _was _the writing of the Timelords." The last Timelord fell silent, looking at the pictures once more, trying to figure it out. Amy sat down beside him and just watched, concern written on her face.

"What does it mean then? If she can write this Gallifreyan stuff. . ." Rory drifted off. The Doctor looked up, torn between hope and disbelief.

"I don't know. All of this is connected somehow, but I just don't see it."

"What do you mean 'everything?' Have you met her before?" Amy asked. The Timelord nodded and stood up, walking to the console, typing on the keyboard.

"When we first landed here the two of you were asleep. The TARDIS landed herself. She, Charlie, was going to jump off a bridge. And I stopped her. When we arrived here at the school I saw her again. She popped up in my English class and I sat with her at lunch," The Doctor said before turning to look at his two companions. "I saw her get bullied and teased. Every time I felt I _needed _to help, to talk, to reach out to her. And I still don't know why."

He turned back to the keyboard and pressed a button. The screen showed their surroundings and he caught sight of Charlotte once again.

"That's the girl we saw yesterday," Rory commented, turning to Amy. The Doctor turned as well.

"You what?"

"We were on our way back and were walking through the park," Amy began. "I heard violin music and saw her playing under a tree. It was raining and all she had was a sweater with holes and her jeans were patched up. We gave her some money, that's all."

The Doctor nodded and looked up at the screen once more to find the teen sleeping on a bench. He frowned for a moment before wordlessly leaving to one of the spare bedrooms, grabbing a blanket, and walking out of the TARDIS. The couple watched him on the monitor.

He draped the blanket on her and tucked it in a bit, careful not to wake her. His smiled slightly, eyes warm as he saw her curl into the blanket, welcoming its heat. Before he knew what he was doing, he kissed the top of her head. The Timelord thought about that as he walked back to his ship. He had caught himself off guard as to how much he began to care about the girl in such little time. It was scaring him. What if one of his enemies found out and dragged her into his fights? He banished the thought.

When he walked in, he found Amy smirking and Rory looking away, failing to hide a smile. Before either one could open their mouths, he spoke.

"Oh shut up you two! Off to bed," He said as he closed the notebook. The couple laughed as they headed to their bedrooms. The Doctor shook his head slightly, ignoring the smile that was tugging at his lips, and began to flip through the notebook again.

Flipping to what she was writing today, he read a couple sentences and almost dropped it in shock.

She had written about the Time War.

Putting the notebook to the side, he ran to the monitor and ran some tests.

Charlotte had only one heart.

"What the heck is going on," He muttered to himself.

**. . .**

**Hello! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. What's up with Charlie? Why is the Doctor so fond already? And what is going on? Let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you like the story so far and thank you to everyone who reviewed. It makes me all happy and inspired when I read them. Onto the chapter!**

**Important message at the bottom!**

**. . .**

Charlie woke up in the morning, dazed and confused. She didn't remember having a fuzzy red blanket with her when she passed out. Come to think of it, she didn't even own such an item so she just laid there for a moment on the bench, contemplating the meaning of mysterious blankets.

It was then that it struck her that she was sleeping on a school bench. Sitting up quickly, she looked through the folds of her hoodie for the things that allowed her to see. Once the black frames were perched on her nose and she was sure that she wouldn't run into a brick wall, Charlie stood and gathered her things. It didn't take her long and she walked towards the door, opening it with a yank of her arm.

Charlotte nodded slightly in greeting to two janitors as she walked to her locker. Her hands worked on their own accord as she put in her combination, opening the locker with ease. She shuffled a couple of her binders around and grabbed the bag with her spare change of clothes.

Glancing at the digital clocks scattered around the school, it was still too early for many students to be here. Walking towards the school showers, she heard voices and ducked into the nearest bathroom. She didn't even know why she was hiding, it simply felt right.

". . .She is the only student that remains to be implanted with the chips. No one suspects a thing. You must relax. Then the rest of the plan will commence." Charlotte's eyes widened. She knew that voice; it was Mr. Andrews.

"I don't care for your plan. It isn't fast enough Andrews. Other races will try to get her, even this early on in their timelines," Another male voice said, irritated. "I need that girl quickly, people are getting suspicious. The Cybermen technology won't fool him for long."

There was a laugh, probably from the teen's principal. "Who? The Doctor? I doubt that he is a threat–"

"Don't be an idiot Andrews, he is a bigger threat than you take him for. I've faced him a long time ago and he isn't someone you want after you," The mystery voice replied, reprimanding the man. There was something else behind the voice. . .fear possibly?

Andrews huffed, sounding miffed as he spoke. "She will be chipped today, don't you worry. And remember my share of the reward. No one would look down at me again back on my home planet with that sort of thing under my belt."

Charlotte's eyebrows furrowed together as she bit her lip. Who were they talking about? What were the chips? Was that what had happened to Isabelle? Temptation was too much and she peeked out of the bathroom and caught a glimpse of the mystery man. He had slicked back dark brown hair and grey eyes that were cold and calculating. His clothing made it seem like he had walked out of the Victorian era.

Quickly ducking her head back in, she listened carefully as they began to walk away.

"You'll get your reward in due time. Just give me the girl."

**. . .**

The Doctor was sitting in the console room, studying the chip he had taken last night. Amy walked out of the kitchen where both she and Rory had been cooking to find him in his 'thinking pose.'

"Are you having a staring contest Doctor?" The redhead said with a smile as she walked over. "What is the chip for anyways?"

"It's Cyberman technology," He said as he put it down. "I, um, borrowed it." Amy raised an eyebrow, and amused grin tugging at her lips.

"Alright, what does it do?"

The Doctor glanced at her, turning as he did so. "It alters personality. Kind of like upgrading without looking like a Cyberman," He explained, but even then his mind was reeling and Amy could see that.

"What's wrong Raggedy Man?" She asked, curious. The Timelord turned away from her and put his attention back onto the chip. Amy was patient this time; she knew he needed to collect his thoughts.

"I don't understand why the Cybermen are going after a bunch of high school students," He started, fiddling with the chip, as if to get more information out of it than he already had. "It could be possible that they want to test out this new technology, but why here? Why did they have a list? As far as I could tell, the students didn't share any traits amongst them. At the same time, the chip technology is still a bit too advanced for the Cybermen currently. Someone else has to be pulling the strings, but who?"

By the end of it, the Doctor was more talking to himself than the redhead. She sat and listened though, trying to help him think of something, but she was drawing a blank.

"Oi, you two, have something to eat," Rory called, walking out of the kitchen. "I just finished making breakfast."

"Not hungry," The Doctor replied, waving his hand. Amy was already walking towards the kitchen.

"Doctor, you're going to be teaching a bunch of high school students. You're going to want some food," He reasoned. "Better hurry before Amy eats it all." The Doctor chuckled, shaking his head slightly. His companions really did know how to get his mind off other things.

"Oh hush you," She remarked as she walked past him to go to the kitchen. Her hand shot out as she walked past her fiancé and smacked his arm. Rory rubbed his arm lightly, wincing slightly.

"Amy! That hurt!"

Amy simply laughed in response. When Rory began muttering under his breath, she popped out of the kitchen and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you," She said with a smile before popping back into the kitchen. The Doctor simply watched his two companions, amused with their antics. Rory turned to look at him and the Timelord smirked.

"You took that awfully well Rory," He remarked and the other glared at him. If looks could kill, the Timelord would've been in big trouble. But then Rory smirked.

"What about the time she chased you will her shoe?" He asked, smirking as the Doctor winced at the memory. The alien never wanted to live through another incident like that ever again.

"That doesn't count!" The Doctor shouted and Rory laughed.

"You were screaming bloody murder," Rory added. He simply watched the Doctor trying, and failing, to come up with a response. Amy's voice called out from the kitchen, breaking the two out of their staring contest.

"Boys, hurry up!"

The two promptly made their way to the kitchen after that.

**. . .**

In history class, a certain blonde was staring out the window. It wasn't that she didn't find history interesting – she found it fascinating – but her mind just wouldn't allow her to focus on her teacher's speeches. Her eyes were glazed over though, not taking in any of the sights; she was thinking, her mind trying to make sense of everything she had heard.

No matter how hard she tried, the words didn't make complete sense. Who was the person they were after? Why were they so important? Why was the Doctor here and why was he someone to watch out for? Hold on. . .

The Doctor!

Charlotte had to do everything to stop herself from outright leaping out of her desk, but she did jump a little, which caused several of her classmates to look at her and shake their heads, but she couldn't care less at the moment. Charlie was going to get answers, she was bound to, and the only person she was sure would know something about this entire mess was the Doctor.

The thought was a somewhat comforting one, knowing that she'd get this whole mess sorted out and have her friend again. She missed having Isabelle around and missed having someone to talk to. It made her life somewhat bearable to have her there. having someone to understand was wonderful and something she had never realized how much she needed.

Charlie remained in her distracted state, letting some of the lecture seep into her mind, though barely. Grey eyes glanced up to the clock every couple of minutes, willing it to go faster before returning to the depths of her mind, just letting her thoughts take over and shutting down. . .

"_Charlotte? Charlotte, dinner's almost ready! Come on sweetie, before you freeze out there!"_

_Charlie was outside bundled up in the thickest jacket in history with blue mittens on her little hands and a red hat on her head. She was playing in the snow, enjoying the weather while conveniently forgetting about the cold. _

"_In a minute Mummy!" She called back, hoping her mother had heard her. The little girl stood up and looked down at her snow angel, marvelling in her creation that her father showed her to make. Speaking of her father. . ._

_Charlotte looked around, trying to find her dad. Trudging in snow that was up to her knees, she began her search around the large backyard, trying to be as quiet as she could. Caught off guard, she was lifted off her feet and thrown into the air gently. She squealed in delight as she landed back into her uncle's arms._

"_There's my favourite little niece!" _

_Charlotte giggled. She liked her uncle's voice; it didn't sound anything like her parents or her own. Come to think of it, she had never heard a voice like his before – Mummy called it an accent. _

"_I'm your only niece!" She said, squirming a bit in his grip. He laughed and put her on the ground._

"_Exactly! Are you looking for your dad?" He asked, kneeling so that he wasn't towering over her; she could barely reach his hip. She nodded, before throwing her hands up in the air._

"_I can't find him anywhere!" _

_He laughed again. "Maybe he's hiding somewhere. Come on, let's find him together." Charlotte nodded eagerly, her hat slipping a bit to cover her eyes. Her nose wrinkled and she pushed it back, following the path that he was making for her._

_After about ten minutes of trudging around the front and back yard and having a mini snowball fight , they found the man they were looking for, just walking into the backyard. Her uncle motioned for her to be quiet, since the man hadn't seen them yet. Just as he was about to round the corner to walk up the steps into the house, she ran out and tackled his legs in a hug._

"_Daddy!"_

_He chuckled and picked her up, swinging her around. "Oh, look at my little girl. What've you been doing?" He asked, pressing a kiss to her head. She giggled and pointed at her uncle, who was walking up to them now._

"_I was playing with uncle and looking for you," She said with a grin before looking at him curiously. "Where did you go Daddy?"_

_He looked at her, a bit sad for a moment before smiling. "I was just running an errand for your mother, but I'm here now, so don't worry. What did you play?"_

_Before the little girl could reply, her uncle spoke out. "Innuendo bingo. What did you think we played? We just had a snowball fight." _

"_For goodness' sake-!"_

"_What's an innu- innu- inuuwedo?" Charlie asked, cutting off her father. He simply glared at her uncle before looking at her, eyes a bit wide._

"_That's – um – that's for another time sweetie. Why don't we head inside, hmm?" He changed subjects quickly. Thankfully, the back door opened._

"_Come on in you three, dinner's ready. The scarf again? Really?" Her mum asked, looking both exasperated and fond. Her father simply looked down at it, confused._

"_What? I like this scarf!"_

"_Me too!" Charlie exclaimed and her father just smiled, tossing the end of the scarf over her shoulder. Her uncle laughed._

"_Looks like they win."_

_Her mother rolled her eyes, a smile on her face as she headed inside and the others followed, retreating into the warmth. . . _

"RRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!"

The bell jolted Charlie out of her thoughts. She gathered her things and quickly made it to her locker, wanting to grab her book and write everything down as quickly as possible. Just when she thought there were no more good memories, another one just popped up. It was funny though; she couldn't remember the house or the faces or even the names. She just remembered the voices and the clothes.

Searching her locker, she couldn't find her blue notebook anywhere. Trying not to panic, she tore through her bag, praying that it would be there. Her heart stopped when she couldn't find it. Where could it be? That book was more precious to her than any of her other items combined. The things that she had written in that book. . .she wasn't even sure how she had written them. Many of them, yes, were stories, but there were entries that seemed real.

There was no way they could be, but they seemed more real than some of her own memories.

"Did you lose something?"

Charlie turned around and there was the Doctor, holding out her notebook. She breathed a sigh of relief, grabbing the book from him. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Thank you so much. I was worried for a second."

"You forgot it in my classroom yesterday," He explained, grinning, rocking back on his heels. "You're welcome. Well, I should thank you. You write excellent stories," The Timelord complimented, gesturing to the book. "I hope you don't mind, but I read a few."

Charlotte looked torn between hurt, anger, and smiling. She settled in looking at the floor, a slight blush tinting her cheeks. "Thanks," She said meekly before remembering something and looking up. "I need to talk to you. Quickly. Are you free?"

The Doctor seemed a bit taken aback by the question but nodded. Dropping off her stuff in her locker, she locked it and motioned for him to follow her. Glancing over her shoulder to check that he was following her, she strode to the library.

**. . .**

The Timelord was stumped. Not only with the obvious mystery about how the girl knew things that she really shouldn't, but about what she wanted to talk about. He really wasn't sure what was going on – like many of his companions in the beginning when he'd drag them somewhere new – and wasn't sure that he liked it.

However, he continued to follow the teen straight to the back corner of the library. Once they were both seated, she opened her mouth and got straight to the point.

"Something's going on here, something the police wouldn't understand, and you know about it." She simply looked at him as he was taken aback for the second time today by the teenager, unsure of how to respond. Did he really want to drag her into this? After saving her, could he stand to see her get hurt?

Why was it so different for her than his past companions? Maybe because she was still so young, that she didn't know what she was getting into. Charlie waiting patiently as all of these thoughts ran through his head. But then he remembered the office and spoke.

"First of all, tell me what you know. We can help each other," He stated, leaning on his elbows. Charlotte's lip twitched up slightly and nodded.

"I overheard the principal speaking to some other man, practically saying he wasn't from this planet. The other man was getting worried and Andrews said that they were almost done implanting chips into the students, that the one that they were trying to get was next. They said something about timelines," She said, crinkling her brow in thought, "that it was early in their timelines and the person was valuable."

The Doctor listened keenly and nodded. Glancing up at her, he saw that she was composed, but her eyes shone with curiosity. He chuckled to himself before responding. "What made you think I had anything to do with this?"

Charlie simply raised her eyebrow, as if he was insulting her intelligence, but answered nonetheless. "You showed up less than a week after this stuff started happening. The man also mentioned you as someone to watch out for. He said that he had faced you before a long time ago. The y said the chips were Cybermen technology. Doctor," Her tone changed to one of curiosity and a hint of fear, "what's going on?"

She watched on, nervous and excited for an answer. The man in front of her just sat back, staring at his hands. For a second, she could swear that his eyes looked much older than the rest of him did; like he had seen things that he wished he could erase.

They kind of reminded her of a person mourning the death of someone dear to their heart.

"Doctor." Her voice was warm, with a hint of childlike concern. She reached out hesitantly and put her hand on top of one of his. "You don't have to explain. Just tell me it'll be okay."

The Timelord had been struck dumb by the teenager. She had surprised him so many times today. He looked up and knew he couldn't just leave her in the dark. Especially when he thought back.

That just made things a lot more confusing with this new information. He knew he couldn't leave her in the dark.

He gave her a kindly smile and gave her hand a pat. "Everything will be okay," The elder reassured, but held onto her hand as she motioned to get up, "but you do need to know some things." Her eyebrow rose, questioning, yet she stayed in her seat, nodding for him to continue.

A sigh escaped his lips before he began to speak again. "First things first – I am not human," he held up his hand when he saw that she wanted to say something, effectively silencing her. She closed her mouth, letting him continue.

"I am a Timelord – an alien to you. I have two hearts and I'm over 900 years old. I travel through time and space, bumping into and saving people. It's very likely that I may know the other man – maybe even that he knows me but I don't know him. Cybermen are something that I've dealt with many times. . ."

The two sat there for nearly half an hour, the Doctor speaking and Charlotte listening intently. Not once did she try to interrupt him. How could anyone want to? There was part of her that didn't believe a word he said, that told her to just call the police and – quite possibly – a mental hospital. But another, bigger part of her believed every word. She couldn't help but feel so insignificant beside this – what was he? Oh, yes – Timelord.

". . .And your name is next on the list. They plan to chip you. What they want to do afterwards, I'm not sure, but there were enough chips for at least half of London to be chipped, possibly more," The Doctor finished.

Charlotte took a moment to let everything sink in, trying to make sense of it all. It all did make sense though, surprisingly. Except for one thing. . .

"Why me? What's so special about me?" Charlie asked, thoroughly confused. she couldn't see the point of trying to get her. The Doctor noticed this as well, but smiled.

"You ar –"

"Charlotte Jackson, report to the principal's office. Charlotte Jackson, to the principal's office immediately," The woman on the PA system cut him off. The two looked at each other, wondering what to do.

They had less time than the Doctor thought they did.

**. . .**

**Hello everyone! I know it's been a while, but I am still going strong with this story. Review, and PM if you're curious about something but don't want to spoil anything for everyone.**

**I am also looking for someone to make a cover for this story (as I am terrible with drawing and anything remotely artistic) so I would love it if one of you would make one for me. PLease PM if you're interested!**

**See you on the weekend with a new chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**1A/N: Hello everyone! Told you I'd be back on the weekend! Mind you, I did spend the better part of two days typing this up. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the twice a week updates. **

**I'm still looking for someone to make some cover art for this story so if you're interested, please PM me. Thanks!**

**. . .**

The two looked at each other, both as ill prepared at this time as the other. Each one was expecting at least a few more minutes to plan. Alas, this wasn't the case unfortunately. Charlie was the first to speak, voicing exactly what the Timelord expected her to.

"Doctor, what do we do? Do I go?" Her voice didn't betray what she felt, but her eyes did – she was scared, unsure, surrounded by things she had only known about for moments. Of course she'd be afraid.

She looked at him, letting herself trust him completely after such a short time together. He always did say that he had a face that people couldn't help trusting; this was just more proof for the fact. He had to think of something and fast.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "If we don't go, they'll obviously become suspicious. Never a good thing, trust me. But I've got a plan! Well, part of a plan – well, it's a good idea. Hopefully. Alright, it's just an idea, but you'll be perfectly safe," The Doctor rambled slightly. It wasn't a full proof idea – more like a fragment of thought – but it was something. Better yet, Charlie would get out of the school unharmed.

Charlie simply raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. After seeing he was lost in his thoughts, she waved a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Doctor. You have a half-formed plan to fill me in on. Hello?"

Jarred out of his many trails of thought, the Doctor clapped his hands together and smiled, standing up. "Right! First of all, you need to clear out the school in the noisiest manner possible. It'll double as a distraction while getting everyone out of the line of fire. Then you get out as fast as you can without being seen. That's where we'll part ways. Do you understand Charlie?" He asked, looking at the teenager.

She looked as if she was about to protest, but seeing the look on his face, decided against it and nodded.

"Yes, I understand Doctor. Out as fast as possible," Charlotte repeated, though she couldn't leave it at just that. "What about Isabelle? Will she be okay? Will you be okay Doctor?"

He looked her in the eyes, knowing how worried she must feel about her friend. No matter what, he was going to make sure that her friend would be back to normal.

"Isabelle and the others will be fine," He assured, "They'll be back to themselves after all of this is done and over with. They won't recall a thing since after they were chipped."

Charlie grinned, relieved at the news. Isabelle would be fine and back to normal. They would be alright and she wouldn't even remember how she had treated her! No silly apologies, no complications, just enjoying each other's company.

They definitely had to go have some chips together after all of this was sorted out. It would just be so wonderful to have her best friend back. It had only been a little while and she already felt like an outcast again.

Well, she was an outcast, but it didn't matter to her with her friend around. Her eyebrows furrowed together slightly though, her second question still unanswered.

"Will you be okay Doctor?" The girl repeated, wanting to hear some sort of reply so she wouldn't just refuse to leave him alone. It was silly – after all, he was a grown man and could take care of himself – but she needed something. It could very well be dangerous. She didn't want him to get injured or even killed.

Especially not for her.

The Timelord smiled, touched by her concern, and nodded. "Of course I'll be okay Charlie. Tell you what; I'll come see you after a while, just so you know, alright?" The teen gave her response to the suggestion with a slight upturn of her lips.

"Sounds great Doc."

The Doctor grinned slightly at the nickname. It wasn't a bad one – he might even grow fond of it in time. But for now, there were things that just had to get done.

Like stopping the evil alien principal.

"Perfect. Now, Miss Jackson, we have work to do."

**. . . **

Charlie wasn't really looking forward to leaving the Doctor on his own and leaving with the rest of the school, but she wasn't about to disobey him.

Slipping out of the library, she made sure to steer clear of the offices and out of sight of the cameras. She really only had one shot at this since it was a break between classes. Sticking close to a group of older students, her fingers closed around the fire alarm and gave it a good tug.

At the same moment, smoke started to creep through the hallways from the cafeteria. Her work was done as teachers began ushering students out of the school.

As she slipped out of the school, she heard an announcement on the PA system. She knew right way whose voice it was and smiled to herself.

"Everyone please leave the school in an orderly fashion. We are currently working on the problem. The school will be unsafe to enter for a few days so everyone please go home immediately. Leave whatever belongings that remain in your locker behind and exit the school immediately."

"Goodbye Doctor," Charlotte whispered to herself before slipping out of a side door. Snaking in and out of the crowd, she only thought about where she planned to head after this. It was clear that hanging around the school wasn't an option – it would be too risky. After all, what if one of the implanted students caught her and took her to the principal? Their efforts would all be in vain.

No, it was for the best that she left the property as soon as humanly possible. Charlotte settled on going to a cafe not very far away from the school. It was close enough that the Doctor could find her, but crowded enough for her to remain unseen and make a quick getaway if needed.

As she began to make her way to the edge of the property, heading to her decided destination, she didn't take note of an extremely important detail amongst the noise of the entire school on the grounds.

There was a set of faint footsteps trailing behind her.

**. . .**

As soon as the Doctor heard the fire alarm wail its warning bell, he made his way to the principal's office, not slowing down his jog as he wove in and out of students and teachers alike fleeing the premises. Listening carefully at the door for a moment, a look of confusion flashed across his features.

Why was it so silent within the room?

Grabbing his sonic screwdriver with one hand and reaching for the handle with the other, the Timelord slowly opened the door, creeping his way in cautiously. At first glance, everything seemed to be normal. Only when you had a closer look did you notice that the room had been tidied of all the chips and papers he had seen only yesterday.

Marching to the desk, he pulled out drawer after drawer, finding nothing within. Flinging open the closet – which he had searched only the night before –he discovered that it too had been cleaned of all its contents. Not a single trace remained.

How could he be such a fool? This was all going to blow up in his face very soon. He only hoped that Charlotte had managed to get away without any trouble. Looking at the room, all the evidence pointed at one possible explanation. . .

"They knew," The Timelord whispered to himself. They were counting on him to do this – for the distraction and everything. They must have known him much better than he thought they would. This whole incident only meant that he was facing an enemy that had met him, but that he hadn't met yet.

He remained there for a moment, staring at the spotless closet until the office door swung shut with a slam. He spun around, grip tightening on his sonic, to see none other than 'Principal Andrews' smirking at him.

"I really should've seen this coming," He said, a slight upturn of his lips accompanying his words. Scanning the area slightly, it seemed to just be the two of them. Then again, there was always some sort of surprise during these types of meetings.

"So nice of you to finally join us Doctor. We were getting worried waiting for you."

He caught sight of a man in the shadows, barely catching an outline. Before he could even make a witty retort, he felt a blow to the back of his head before he fell forward, sonic rolling away from him, the world fading to black.

**. . .**

Charlotte waited at the cafe for quite a while, becoming more worried as the minutes ticked by. She took a sip of her coffee, keeping an eye on the door, expecting a man with a red bowtie and matching suspenders to walk through them at any second. After ten more minutes she paid and left the cafe, walking down the street with her hands in her pockets.

How could she be so stupid? The Doctor was probably long gone by now. And all that Timelord nonsense? He was probably just making a fool out of her. Why did she let herself care? Was Isabelle in on this?

'_Of course not!' _The rational part of her brain screamed, but she was a teenager – which meant that her emotions were ruling her brain at the moment and rational thought was tossed aside. _'What if he's in trouble?' _Her brain desperately tried once more to put rationality in charge again.

It seemed to have done the trick since she stopped in her tracks. What if the Doctor really was in trouble? Trouble that he couldn't get out of? The rational part of her brain had remained in control for only a short time before emotion took over and she bolted down the street towards the school.

Charlie didn't pay much attention to the shouts she received from angry pedestrians as she bumped into them in her mad dash. There were mumbled apologies less than half the time. All she was focused on was that she had to get to the school as fast as humanly possible.

She only slowed down when she had to cross the street but even then she jogged across the road. Deciding that it would be foolish to simply stroll through the front door, Charlotte snuck back into the school through the side door.

Being careful to avoid the cameras at all costs, she got close to the principal's office before she realized something. If she wanted to get into that office, she would have to come within sight of the things she was trying to avoid.

Deciding that there was no other option left for her to get into that room, Charlie sprinted and opened the door quickly, getting in as fast as possible before shutting it behind her. It was quite a shock to find herself in an empty room. She expected _someone_ or _something_ to be in the room. There was literally nothing else in the room besides a desk and a chair.

Charlotte walked around the room, looking into the open closet and kneeling to look under the desk. She was about to get up when she saw something glint silver. Stretching her arm underneath the desk, her hand snapped shut on the object, pulling it out as she kneeled.

The girl simply stared at it for a few moments, taking in its strange appearance. It was remotely shaped like a screwdriver, but had claws and what looked like a green bulb. Charlie guessed that it was the object that she couldn't identify the first time she and the Doctor had met. Which meant that the Doctor must have been there.

And that he had gotten into some serious trouble.

Hearing the door handle click, she hastily stuffed the screwdriver-thing into the inner pocket of her jacket and stood. She was considering hiding in the closet, but the door swung open and she knew it was of no use. The teen had been caught.

By the creepy Victorian dude.

He simply looked at her, a smirk on his face. Charlotte stood tall, biting back her fear. She noticed that he had two chipped students with him.

"Miss Jackson. It's a pleasure to meet such a legend," Victorian guy said while taking his hat off in a mock sign of respect, stepping into the room. Charlotte watched him carefully, making sure that the desk was always between them.

"What do you mean a legend?" She questioned. If you had asked her, she would have said that it was to keep him talking, so she could have a few seconds to figure out something to do. But the truth was that she was curious – he had said something about timelines earlier that day. Did he know what she would become? Who she grew to be?

The man chuckled. "You have quite the reputation Miss Jackson. Many of the Doctor's enemies know who you are. Some of the people he saved know as well," He explained, placing his hat back on his head, "you've made your own enemies as well from what I've heard. In fact, you've made your own name for yourself out there."

The more the man spoke, the more confused Charlotte became. What the heck was he going on about? It must have shown on her face because the man smirked. That really irritated Charlotte – what was he playing at anyways?

"Where's the Doctor? Tell me where he is," She demanded, sounding a lot more confident than she felt at the moment. The man simply raised his eyebrow.

"How should I know?" He replied. Charlie felt like punching him in frustration.

"Because you're not supposed to be a total moron, that's how," She replied snarkily. This guy was really starting to get on her nerves. He just kept smirking.

"I don't think I care for your tone young lady," He said before turning to the students, "get her and take her to her precious Doctor. I think he should have a front seat to her conversion."

Her heart was pounding in her chest but she didn't run right away. Several things happened in the next couple moments. First, Charlotte moved to stand in front of the closet. Then the students ran for her.

It took all her willpower not to flinch until the students were close enough. She then dodged and gave a good shove, knocking them both into the closet and locking it quickly. It would at least buy her a bit of time. Still not sure what to do with the Victorian man, she turned around to find him gone.

Charlotte would usually be curious to this sort of thing, but the only thing going through her mind at the moment was how long she would have before the closet door gave way to the pounding of the occupants. Running into the front office, she checked the security camera footage on the monitor, trying to find the Doctor.

Grey eyes scanned the screen until she saw the man in the bowtie. The camera label said that he was in the basement, but she saw none of his surroundings. He seemed to be fine, just unconscious.

The sound of splintering wood made her turn away from the monitor. It seemed that the door would hold up for a shorter time than she originally thought. Another splintering sound followed by a crash told her that her time had run out. Getting an idea, she made a point of running in front of the principal's office.

"Catch me if you can!" Charlie shouted, laughing as she didn't stop, taking the screwdriver out of her jacket pocket and opening the side door, dropping her jacket there before hiding in the janitor's closet.

She prayed and watched on as the students looked out the side door and looked down – probably to look at the piece of clothing – both looking at each other for a moment. Charlie held her breath, watching on. She almost laughed when the two ran out the door, thinking that they were heading in the direction that she was running.

The blonde tucked the screwdriver into her combat boot before walking out of the closet, running to the nearest stairs that would take her to the basement.

**. . .**

The Doctor regained consciousness, blinking several times, trying to figure out where he was. The Timelord rubbed the back of his head – where he was sure that a bump would form – and realized that he was in handcuffs.

Checking his pockets, he groaned when he remembered that his sonic had rolled away from him when he had been knocked out. He felt. . .naked without it. It was his sonic, and now he was a sonic-less Doctor. What use was that?!

"Never mind that," He whispered to himself, looking at his surroundings, which was a bit difficult considering that the tiny window above him didn't provide much light. "I've got to find a way out of here."

Squinting for a few moments in the dark, he could make out the edges of the door and walked over. He pressed his ear against it, trying to hear what was happening on the other side. It was silent, except for the hum of something the school needed to run. Furnace perhaps?

Turning the door handle, the Doctor realized that it was locked and kicked it. In retrospect, that wasn't the smartest thing to do.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed, hopping around while holding his now injured foot. Why did this have to happen to him? "Alright, I've got no sonic, my hands are handcuffed, and the door is locked." The Timelord began pacing. The window? No, he couldn't fit through that thing.

He picked up the faint sound of footsteps and pressed his ear against the door once again. They sounded as if they were descending stairs.

"Doctor?" He heard a voice whisper and knew immediately who the voice belonged to.

"I'm in here," He said, knocking on the door lightly. The footsteps approached the door and he began speaking again. "Charlie, the door's locked and I don't have my sonic-"

"You mean the screwdriver?" She cut across, "I have it right here. Just tell me what to do."

"Point it at the handle and think of the door unlocking. It has a psychic interface. It'll work, I swear."

"Alright," Was all he heard from the girl. Moments later the door opened and the Doctor grinned. Charlie returned the grin and handed him his screwdriver.

"I found it under the desk. You have to explain how that works to me later," She said as he got the handcuffs off.

"Of course," He said before laughing and giving her a hug. "You are brilliant Charlie! Absolutely brilliant!"

Charlie laughed and returned the hug for a moment before they broke apart. "So, what do we do now?"

The two fell silent as they heard footsteps heading towards them. Noticing the shadows, they both knew what was heading their way. The Doctor looked at the girl and grinned, holding out his hand.

"Easy, Miss Charlotte Jackson. We run," He said and Charlie raised an eyebrow in amusement, taking his hand as they set off down one of the basement's many dimly lit hallways.

**. . .**

**I made it! Anyways, expect an update on Wednesday of Thursday, maybe even earlier if we're lucky. Remember to review! **


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